They began their career in 1991, cutting their first 7" record later that year with the lineup of Joey Vindictive (vocals), Johnny Personality (bass), Billy Blastoff (guitar), Dr. Bob (guitar), P.J. Parti (drums) and Erik Elsewhere (drums). The band would end up releasing 12 albums until July of 1996, when Joey Vindictive revealed that his health issues would prevent the band from going on. Luckily for him, he overcame his ailments to re-form the band in 2000, cutting a new album and overseeing the re-release of a significant part of their catalog. Dr. Bob died in 2003 due to a heroin overdose. Their song "The Invisible Man" was featured in the Ubisoft game Watch Dogs, where it attracted attention to restart the band once more in 2013, releasing a new EP titled Mono-Flexi, and to remaster most of their previous songs as Songbooks coming in volumes starting from I to III.
The Vindictives' website is currently down indefinitely.
The Invisible Man
The Vindictives Lyrics
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Typing letters for computer eyes to sorta read drifting like an odor
Now I'm blending in with the air
I'm becoming more and more of what I've got to be.
I'm invisible
I'm floating floating past the homes of the Ozzie and Harriets.
Past the plans of moving in next door,
Cause I'm prepared, I've got it all figured out.
Made me out of frosted flakes and television shows.
Made me out of frozen shrimp in office party bowls.
I metamorphisized cause I have nothing else to do.
I'll walk into the crowd to avoid becoming you.
I'm invisible
I'm fading fading into sacrifice that doesn't stand for anything.
Do not disturb this state of unconsciousness.
I'm safe in here, becoming part of everyone!
The lyrics of The Invisible Man by The Vindictives can be interpreted in a number of ways, but one possible meaning is that the song represents the experience of feeling invisible and lost in a society that values conformity and uniformity. The singer is sitting in an office chair and typing letters that no one will read, drifting like an odor and becoming more and more invisible. He is prepared and has figured everything out, but he has also become a product of the culture around him, made out of frosted flakes and television shows, and frozen shrimp in office party bowls. He has transformed himself into something that he is not because he has nothing else to do and wants to avoid becoming like those around him.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more invisible and begins to fade into sacrifice that doesn't stand for anything. He is safe in his state of unconsciousness and is becoming part of everyone. The idea here is that he is losing his sense of self and becoming a part of the masses, sacrificing his unique perspective in order to fit in. The song can be seen as a commentary on the pressures of conformity and the desire to escape them, even if that means losing oneself in the process.
Line by Line Meaning
Posing like a statue sitting in my office chair
I'm sitting motionless like a statue trying to look busy.
Typing letters for computer eyes to sorta read drifting like an odor
I'm typing letters that will likely go unnoticed and be sorted along with everything else. I'm becoming invisible like an odor.
Now I'm blending in with the air
I'm becoming part of the background.
I'm becoming more and more of what I've got to be.
I'm conforming to what society expects of me.
I'm invisible
I'm becoming harder and harder to see.
I'm floating floating past the homes of the Ozzie and Harriets.
I'm passing by the idealized homes of perfect families.
Past the plans of moving in next door,
I'm avoiding the pressure to conform to societal norms.
Cause I'm prepared, I've got it all figured out.
I have a plan to avoid conforming and becoming invisible.
Made me out of frosted flakes and television shows.
I've been shaped by sugary commercials and fictional TV shows.
Made me out of frozen shrimp in office party bowls.
I'm like the frozen leftovers that nobody wants to eat.
I metamorphisized cause I have nothing else to do.
I've changed because I have no other purpose or direction.
I'll walk into the crowd to avoid becoming you.
I'll hide in the crowd to avoid becoming someone else's definition of success.
I'm fading fading into sacrifice that doesn't stand for anything.
I'm disappearing and losing myself in a meaningless routine.
Do not disturb this state of unconsciousness.
I'm asking to be left alone and allowed to remain in my meaningless state.
I'm safe in here, becoming part of everyone!
I'm finding a false sense of safety by being part of the faceless crowd.
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.